Prince’s trio of albums, “LOtUSFLOW3R,” “MPLSoUND” and “Elixer” will be sold exclusively at Target starting Sunday. / AP file

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Staff and wire reports

Prince

"LOtUSFLOW3R," "MPLSoUND," "Elixer"; self-released

Prince likes defying conventions, and this time he's doing it with a 3-D sonic assault. He strikes out in several creative directions on a trio of new albums -- the rock-guitar-fueled "LOtUSFLOW3R ," (31/2 stars out of 4) electronic-infused "MPLSoUND" (3 stars) and pop-flavored "Elixer," featuring protege Bria Valente (2 stars).

The albums are available now as free downloads to fans who pay the $77 annual membership fee for his new LotusFlow3r.com Web site, marking Prince's official return to cyberspace since shutting down his pioneering NPG Music Club in 2006. The three discs will be sold exclusively at Target starting Sunday in an $11.98 bundle.

This isn't the first time the major-label-averse artist has bypassed traditional retail. He gave away 2007's "Planet Earth "as an insert in the U.K. national newspaper "The Mail." Ticket buyers for 2004's "Musicology" tour got copies of that album with their purchase.

The new records are a bargain both in terms of the nearly three hours of listening time and audio treasures. "LOtUSFLOW3R" is loaded with rip-roaring guitar riffs and booty-agitating grooves as he explores love, politics and love's politics. "Feel Good, Feel Better, Feel Wonderful" is an orgiastic funk workout, while the hypnotic "Colonized Mind" and anthemic "Dreamer" share his worldviews.

"MPLSoUND" finds Prince revisiting the synth vibe of the '80s with his outsize ego intact on tracks like "(There'll Never B) Another Like Me" and "Ol' Skool Company," which reunites some of his Minneapolis cohorts. The sly "Valentina," bouncy Q-Tip-assisted "Chocolate Box" and wicked "No More Candy 4 U" also stand out.

Prince has toned down his music's "Dirty Mind" raunchiness since becoming a Jehovah's Witness in 2001. Still, the pop-lite "Elixer," showcasing Valente's sensual yet indistinct vocals, could have really used a whiff of Prince's old "Do Me Baby" spice. Though there are a few tantalizing moments, the overall effect is more tepid than torrid.

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Taken together, the three albums confirm that the eccentric genius still has his creative passion. And even if everything he tries doesn't hit a high note, it's still a pleasure to hear the Purple One work out.

-- Steve Jones, USA Today

Chris Cornell

"Scream"; Interscope

2 stars out of 4

In a radical departure from the pipes of Chris Cornell, "Scream" is an experiment in melding hip-hop with touches of rock. Depending on who you ask, it's either brilliant or idiotic.

Indeed there's not much screaming on "Scream," and live instrumentation is mostly given up for drum loops and mechanized beats, courtesy of production from hip-hop's go-to man, Timbaland. Cornell's voice is often Auto-Tuned to the point where he sounds like a robot receiving oral sex -- just like every other faceless hip-hop song using that cliched studio technique these days.

It's a bizarre 180 from the hard rock sounds he established with Soundgarden, Audioslave and even his own past solo albums. He even borrows from the hip-hop playbook singing about "that bitch" on the opening track "Part of Me." The one thing these canned songs do have is melody, something a great many hip-hop artist should note. There are songs here that have the workings of great rock songs, but in the end it's some strange hybrid that sounds like Michael Jackson-meets-Soundgarden.

Recommended if you like: Kanye West; M.I.A.; N.E.R.D.

-- Jason Kellner, Reno Gazette-Journal

Reno Gazette-Journal

The Decemberists

"Hazards of Love"; Capitol

3 1/2 stars out of 4

The Decemberists' "The Hazards of Love" is not an album to listen to on shuffle; the songs don't play well with others. But in their natural environment, each track leads so blissfully into the next in both theme and sound that it's hard not to listen straight through once the first song begins.

After that three-minute instrumental, the intriguing story kicks off with the lulling but dense "The Hazards of Love Part 1." Like other Decemberists yarns, it's a fantastic tale of love that delves into real horror. You can listen with only half an ear and enjoy it, and part of the pleasure is slowly comprehending the story's details the second, third or fourteenth time.

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The Decemberists use the accordion and other eclectic instruments, but most songs build on a dark folk sound of guitar, drums and bass, with moments of harder electric riffs, such as on the intense "The Queen's Rebuke/The Crossing," and breezy acoustics on "Isn't it a Lovely Night."

The sole track that can stand alone is "The Rake's Song," which has been used in promotions. It's short and punchy, but realizing it's about a resentful father murdering his three young children makes one crave the rest of the songs and the musical tapestry they weave -- beautiful to behold with a story that strikes a chord.

RIYL: Arcade Fire, Belle and Sebastian, Buster Blue, TV on the Radio

-- David Hegle, Reno Gazette-Journal

Reno Gazette-Journal

Miley Cyrus

"Hannah Montana: The Movie" soundtrack; Walt Disney Records

3 1/2 stars out of 4

Swaddled inside the frothy, frenetic, tender and (mostly) well-crafted ditties from this soundtrack are tantalizing glimpses into the normally unfathomable midteen mind-set. Cyrus' Hannah Montana character (and probably Cyrus herself) is confronting the child-to-woman transitional thing, the demands of celebrity and image maintenance, the desire to break free while staying grounded -- and boys and handbag selection.

The cumulative weight of those struggles is summed up in "The Climb," in which she sings, "... every move I make feels lost with no direction, my faith is shaking." The sentiment is moving, though a bit sad considering she's just 16. Of the six non-Miley/Montana tracks, papa Billy Ray Cyrus' "Back to Tennessee" is the keeper, and Taylor Swift contributes a pretty waltz, "Crazier." The only off notes are Steve Rushton's two tracks, which unintentionally harks back to his former band, Son of Dork.